Stay-down pocket construction



April 3, 1965 w. F. EVANS ETAL STAY-DOWN POCKET CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 20, 1962 Richard H. Hall CO, I

N) W Walter E Evans United States Patent 3,177,499 STAY-DOWN POCKET CONSTRUCTION Walter F. Evans and Richard H. Hall, both of 506 Sudelrum Bldg, Nashville, Tenn. Filed Feb. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 174,475 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-247) This invention relates generally to the manufacture of pockets for garments and more particularly to an improved means for securing a pocket panel to the outer garment panel in such a manner that the pocket will not wad, wrinkle or invert during washing or other cleaning operations.

The cost of providing coveralls and commercial outerwear uniforms worn by persons such as filling station attendants, mechanics, service personnel and the like, is increased a significant amount because of the necessity of stretching and shaking our garment pockets which have become either partially or completely inverted during washing and/ or dry cleaning operations. It has been found necessary to straighten inverted pockets so that they will be smooth when the garment is subsequently ironed. If the pockets are not so stretched, the wads which persist cause random wrinkles and creases which destroy the neat and orderly appearance desired for the freshly laundered garment.

Typical of the prior art efforts to obviate this problem include US. Patent 2,778,026 to Rosenthal dated January 22, 1957. The use of straps complicates repair of holes in the bottom of the pockets; and the foot of the wearer when the garment is being put on or taken off sometime hooks into such straps thereby causing them to become torn loose or other damage to the garment, and unless such straps are carefully placed, partial wadding and/ or inversion of the pocket may occur which still requires the service of a pocket shaker in the laundering establishment.

The present invention has as its object the provision of a novel pocket construction which obviates the foregoing disadvantages and which is easily and simply fabricated. The novel pocket construction maintains the pocket in a fully extended non-wadded position at all times including during and after the washing and cleaning operations and is formed by securing a central portion of the outer pocket panel to the outer garment, either by stitching, or preferably by use of a conventional adhesive to make the novel construction completely concealed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are that there is no discomfort to the wearer, the usual free swinging characteristic of the pocket is retained, and the lower pocket portion where repair is most frequently needed may be repaired in the conventional manner without interference by auxiliary straps.

These and still further objects and advantages will become more fully apparent from the claims, and from the description as it proceeds in connection with the appended drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view, partially broken away, and looking from the inside of a typical rear garment pocket in a pair of pants or, coveralls, for example, that embody the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of the garment and pocket of FIGURE 1 taken along line 22 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a view, partially broken away and looking from the inside of a typical front garment pocke formed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross section of the garment and pocket of FIGURE 3 taken along line 4-4 thereof.

With continued reference to the drawings, the illustrated hip or rear pocket construction of FIGURES 1 and 2 may be of conventional design and formed by any suitable fabric, usually unlined, and comprises a waistband portion 12 secured as by stitching to a downwardly extending outer garment panel 14 which, as best shown in FIGURE 2 contains the pocket mouth or hand opening with an upper defining edge 16 stitched as at 17 and a lower defining edge 18 stitched as at 19. The pocket consists of an inner panel 20 which is nearest the body of the wearer and an outer panel 22 interposed between inner panel 20 and garment portion 14. The upper side of inner panel 20 is secured at the top as by stitching at line 21 to waistband 12, and is joined to outer panel 22 at a bottom portion 23. The upper end of outer pocket panel 22 is secured at edge 18 of garment panel 14 along stitch 19 and may contain a folded facing strip 26 over which access is obtained into the rear pocket. The foregoing description is of a typical pocket construction to which the present invention is applicable in a manner which will be described next.

Inversion and wadding of the pocket is prevented by means securing the outer pocket panel 22 to the garment panel 14 along a substantially horizontal line between about one fourth and one half the distance from the bottom of the pocket at 24 and the pocket opening. Since a stitching at this position would be visible, we have found that by use of a suitable adhesive resistant to laundering as by dry cleaning or washing, a satisfactory attachment may be achieved that is concealed. For the adhesive body 24 to have sufficient area to hold the pocket effectively in place, we have found that an area that is approximately one third the height of the pocket from bottom portion 23 to the hand opening is adequate. The width of body 24 should be sufficient to prevent inversion or wadding and yet less than that which will interfere with normal use of the pocket. We have found that a width for adhesive body 24 of from about two thirds to five sixths of the width of the pocket is preferable. Thus, with a pocket having a width of 6 /2 inches, the width of the sealed area, i.e. adhesive body 24, may be up to 5 /2 inches. With a pocket depth or height of 6 inches corresponding to dimension 3X on FIGURE 1, the sealed area may extend over the central one-third of the outer pocket panel area. I

In FIGURES 3 and 4, a front pocket construction is illustrated which may comprise waistband portion 32 secured as by stitching to a downwardly extending garment panel 34 which contains the hand opening defining edge 36 for the pocket. The pocket inner panel 38, which is nearest the wearers body, is conveniently secured at its upper end to waistband 32 as by stitching at 40 andat its side by stitching along line 37. The outer pocket panel 42 is provided by a fold along edge 44, to be interposed between inner panel 38 and garment portion 34. The outer panel 42 may be secured at the top to waistband 32 by stitching at 40 and at its side by stitching along line 46 to garment portion 34 and at its lower edge portion 48 to the inner panel 38, to thereby form the pocket and form hand opening 36. The foregoing pocket is typical of conventional front pocket construction.

In accordance with this invention, the pocket may be secured to the outer garment portion 34 against inversion and wadding by a concealed construction utilizing an adhesive body 50 applied to define a sealed area which may advantageously have the shape of a parallelogram defined by lines 51-54. The lower line 53 is about one third of the height of outer pocket panel 42 upwardly from bottom portion 48 and the sealed area extends over about the central one third of outer panel 42. The other sides 52 and 54 of sealed area 50 may be disposed in the general direction of the mouth of the pocket along line 36 and thus provide an area effective to provide adequate securing capacity with minimum interference to the normal use oft-he pocket; The sealed. area here extends V portion and a free swinging pocket'bottom portion jointo bottomportion 48 which would c ornplicate pocket botw.

torn repairk Also, theuse of straps is avoided which are about two-thirds and five-sixths of the width of said outer sometimes torn loose by catching onthe toesof the wearer,-and additionally the sealing arrangement of, this L invention maybe inexpensively and easily applied. i

use of adhesives which are well known in th'e art. Such adhesives that are activatable by heat and resistant-to Washing and dry cleaning. processes are commercially available that may be easily applied as by knife blading,

spraying, brushing or the like, and hence there is believed to be no need to describe them here. r

other specific forms" f 7 1 panel and has a generally rectangular configuration with The invention may be embodied-in without departing from the spirit or essentialfcharactera 'i stics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, thescope of the inventionbeing indicated by the appended claims ratherrthan by the foregoing descrip- I tion, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency'of the 'claimsare therefore intended to be embracedtherein. i

What is claimedand States Letters Patent is: v r 7 a 1. In awashable garment having a pocket se'curedito a garment'outer portionaroundahand opening atv the portion and afree swinging pocket bottom portion join} desired to be secured by United 10 The sealed areas described above may be, achieved by v ing said inner and outer. panels, the improvement comprising means for maintaining the pocket panels in a fully extendedand' non-wadded position during laundering operations includingmeans securing a central portion of the outer pocket panel which-extends across between panel to' the adjacent garment outer portion while leaving the .pocket bottom portion unsecured to said garment outer portion toretain its free swinging characteristic.

3. The garment as defined in claim 2 wherein the lower edge of the secured portion is about :one-third of the said'pocket." V r v4;Thejgarmenti as defined in claim 3, wherein the pocket is a trouserhip pocketlandthe se'curingfmeans is a body of adhesive spread overa'central area which extendsiover aboutr'thec'entral one-third of said outer height ofysaid outer pariel'upwardly from the'bottom of the width dimensiongbeing substantially, horizontal.

5. The garment'as' defined in claim- 3 wherein the vpocket is a trouser frontpocltet and the" securing means 1 is a bodyfof adhesive" spread over a central one-third of said onterpanel and having the general configuration of ,a' parallelogram with two sides being generally horizontal j 6. In a washable garment havinga pocket secured to a garment outer portion around a hand opening at the .30 top of the pocket, said pocket having an inner paneladis posed nearest the; body of the wearer, an outer'p'anel disposedibetween theinner panel; and said 'garment-outeri itopiof the pocket, said pocket having an inner-panel disposed nearest the body of the 'wearer, an outer panel disposed between the, inner panel and said garment outer portion and a freeswinging; pocket bottom. portion joiningfsaid innei andouter panels, the improvement comfully extended and non-Wadded position during laundering 1 operations including a body of adhesive spread, over a' central area of said outeipocket panel, between said outer panel and said adjacent garment, outer portion,- the a vertical length of said central area being about one-third of the height'of said outer panel and theilower edge of the secured portion being aboutone-third of the height Ofsaid outer; panel upwardly from'the pocket! of said pocket to thereby secure a centralfportion of said outer pocket panel to the adjacent garment outer portionlwhile prising means for) maintaining; the ,pocket'panels in a fully extended andnon-wadded position during laundering "operations including an adhesiveror securing a central area ofsaid outer; pocket panel to the adjacent garment outer portion while: leaving thepocket bottom portion unsecured tojsaid garment outer portion toretain' its free swinging'characteristic, said adhesive being'invisiblefrom 1 the exterior of the garment. V p

leaving th'epocket bottom portion unsecured to said gar- 2. In a washable mentouter portion to retainits free swinging characten I mistichp 1 50 a garment outer. portionaround ,a .hand opening at the{ top of t-hepocket, said pocket having an inner'panel dis- I s s 5 posed nearest the .body of I the wearer, an outer panel 7 O A 'F ANK I qr Examin j disposed between the inner panel and said garment outer j I References Cited by the Examiner .UNlTiED STATES PATENTS;

THQMASH CK Y. x mineir a 1 

1. A WASHABLE GARMENT HAVING A POCKET SECURED TO A GARMENT OUTER PORTION AROUND A HAND OPENING AT THE TOP OF THE POCKET, SAID POCKET HAVING AN INNER PANEL DISPOSED NEAREST THE BODY OF THE WEARER, AND OUTER PANEL DISPOSED BETWEEN THE INNER PANEL AND SAID GARMENT OUTER PORTION AND A FREE SWINGING POCKET BOTTOM PORTION JOINING SAID INNER AND OUTER PANELS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE POCKET PANELS IN A FULLY EXTENDED AND NON-WADDED POSITION DURING LAUNDERING OPERATIONS INCLUDING A BODY OF ADHESIVE SPREAD OVER A CENTRAL AREA OF SAID OUTER POCKET PANEL, BETWEEN SAID OUTER PANEL AND SAID ADJACENT GARMENT OUTER PORTION, THE VERTICAL LENGTH OF SAID CENTRAL AREA BEING ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE HEIGHT OF SAID OUTER PANEL AND THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SECURED PORTION BEING ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE HEIGHT OF SAID OUTER PANEL UPWARDLY FROM THE POCKET OF SAID POCKET TO THEREBY SECURED A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID OUTER POCKET PANEL TO THE ADJACENT GARMENT OUTER PORTION WHILE 